


scribbles and hearts

by kiwisfilm



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: also ricky is non-binary in this fic, tags are all wack because i don't know how to work this, this is my first fic do not bully me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-01-22 18:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21306845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwisfilm/pseuds/kiwisfilm
Summary: During a basketball game, E.J. manages to get injured and ends up in the hospital. With his foot in an ugly bright red cast, he's sure not going to be able to play the rest of the season. What happens when the most unexpected person comes to give him a little visit?
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell
Comments: 4
Kudos: 92





	scribbles and hearts

**Author's Note:**

> pls,,, this kinda sucks but I wrote it in an hour so you get what you get and you don't get upset. also canon ej makes me mad so ignore that man.

EJ is upset as he lies on the hospital bed, waiting for the doctor to finally release him. It was only the fifth game of the season, and somehow he managed to get himself hurt. He looks at his ankle that is wrapped in a red cast as if it’s trying to mock him. He feels as if he has been glaring at the cast for an eternity until he hears a soft knock on his door. Standing at the door was a very flustered Ricky Bowen, who seems to be out of breath.  
  
"Hey," Ricky speaks in a soft voice as if not to startle EJ.  
  
"Uhhh hey," EJ replies with a confused tone. Ricky just looks at their shoes instead of responding.  
  
"Would you like to sit down or something," EJ asks with a raised brow.  
  
"Oh uh um yes of corse sure yeah no that makes sense," Ricky responds quickly.  
  
They walk over to sit at the chair next to the bed. Of course, being Ricky, they end up somehow tripping into the tray the doctor had left on the side table. The material used to wrap EJ's ankle was now all over the floor.  
  
"Oh my god I am so sorry, let me just pick this up quickly," Ricky says in their fast-talking manner. They somehow start to make an even bigger mess, so EJ decides to put them out of their misery.  
  
"I'm sure the doctor can pick it up just sit down," EJ says with a small chuckle. Ricky's cheeks flush as they get up and sit in the chair.  
"So any particular reason you're here," EJ questions.  
  
"No, well yes, I don't know," Ricky responds, "I guess I just wanted to see if you were okay."  
  
EJ sighed as he remembered the previous events that took place. He remembers how all of this could have been avoided if he just paid more attention during the game.  
  
"I don't know what had me so distracted during the game," EJ comments with a sigh. The truth was, EJ knows exactly what distracted him, but he would never admit it. Admit that he was staring at the person he was supposed to hate the most. That he was staring at someone who wasn't his girlfriend but instead her ex. Not even EJ fully understood what any of it meant.  
  
"So has Nini come by yet?" Ricky asks.  
  
"Oh so that's why you're here, to find Nini," EJ replies with an eye roll.  
  
"Oh my god, no I swear that wasn't my intention. I've probably made you uncomfortable now oh no," Ricky panicks.  
  
"Calm down Rick, I was just teasing and she hasn't by the way," EJ smoothly replies.  
  
"Well, I think we've talked enough about Nini for one night. How are you doing," Ricky asks.  
  
"Oh you mean other than the fact that I have a cast on my foot that's a brighter red than the hair of that guy you talk to," he responds in a sarcastic tone. Ricky, ever the pessimist, takes this as a sign that EJ wants them to leave.  
  
"No yeah you're right, I should probably go. I don't even know why I came here. God, I'm so stupid! You don't even like me or my friends! I don't know why I came. I'll just leave right now, sorry for bothering you," Ricky says quickly, stumbling over their two feet as they race to the door with tears slowly forming in their eyes.  
  
EJ's eyes widen as he realizes that Ricky did not understand his sarcasm. In the spur of the moment, he yells out, "RICK WAIT!"  
  
Ricky turns around with their head down, not wanting EJ to see their tears.

“I was just kidding, please sit down. If you couldn’t tell I get irritated easily when I’m stressed,” EJ explains in the softest possible way as if not to scare Ricky away. 

Ricky slowly walks back as if they’re scared that they would be yelled at again. Once Ricky realizes that none of it was a cruel joke a faint blush covers their cheeks, realizing the scene they must have made. 

“Sorry for freaking out like that. I guess I’m not used to a lot of people wanting my company for longer than five minutes,” Ricky says with an awkward chuckle. 

EJ let’s out a small laugh, ”you’re joking right?”. When all he got back from Ricky was a questioning glance, he couldn’t believe how much they didn’t know people cared for them. 

“Ricky half of the school is probably in love with you and you still think that no one wants your company,” EJ asks with a raised eyebrow. 

Ricky doesn’t know if it is possible for them to get more red at this point. They swear that EJ must be very high on medicine for him to say something like that. There was no way that anyone in the school was in love with them. They’re just ricky, plain same old ricky. 

“You’re something else Bowen,” EJ says with a smile that makes butterflies erupt in Ricky’s stomach.

“Uh yeah um, thanks,” Ricky responds in a way that almost seems like a question. “So how are you actually feeling, well emotionally anyway,” Ricky asks.

EJ sighs, “Well I’m obviously upset that i probably won’t play for the rest of the season. More than anything I think I’m just upset at myself for getting injured. I’ve had a seventeen year streak of never breaking a bone and look where i am now”. A sympathetic look appears on Ricky’s face as they hear all EJ has to say when suddenly an idea pops into their head. 

“I’m gonna share something with you that i’ve never shared with anyone else, not even Big Red,” Ricky says while slowly feeling the embarrassment take over them. 

“When I was younger let’s just say I had my fair share of falls. If it wasn’t falling of my skateboard it was tripping down the stairs. In total i’ve had five casts in my lifetime and i’ll be honest, they all sucked,” Ricky says with soft laugh. 

“I don’t know why that makes so much sense to me, but it does,” EJ interjects with a fond smile that Ricky, ever oblivious, doesn’t notice. 

“Well to cheer me up my mom would draw me things on my cast. Nothing too fancy just little doodles, but my favorites were the hearts,” Ricky says with a distant look as if they’re imagining the scenario in their head. 

“Even though Big Red would make fun of them and I would pretend to hate them, they were my favorite. Want to know why,” Ricky asks with the brightest smile. 

They continued as EJ nodded, “Because I knew even though what happened was my fault she was always there to support me. It gave me comfort know that someone cared enough to be there for me”. 

EJ smiles as he realizes that this must be an important part of Ricky’s childhood. He feels so lucky that Ricky trusted him with this information. To EJ’s surprise Ricky takes out a plain black sharpie from their back pocket. 

“You don’t have to let me but if you want I can draw a couple on yours. Maybe it’ll even make you feel better,” Ricky explains with a shaky voice. 

“Yeah, I actually would really like that,” EJ says softly as if he’s in awe. 

The smile that spreads across Ricky’s face is worth more than a million stars and EJ wouldn’t mind seeing it forever. Ricky pulls their chair closer to the hospital bed and slowly starts doodling little hearts on the bright red cast. Small giggles coming out of their mouth as they try to give each heart its own name. 

At this point EJ is sure that Ricky is possibly the most beautiful person in the world. And yes these thoughts scared him, but they were true all the same. The butterflies for Nini had been gone for a while, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Slowly one by one each butterfly had become the property of Ricky and maybe EJ was finally okay with that.

**Author's Note:**

> anyways follow me on twitter @hsmstozier


End file.
